OROVILLE -- The 44-year-old man charged with allegedly killing his mother and hiding the body in a septic tank last December in Chico reportedly confessed to police during an interview.

During a preliminary hearing Monday in Butte County Superior Court, Chico police detective Joel Schmid testified that Anthony David Yee said he initially attempted to choke Judith Nathan, 66, with a rope inside her White Avenue residence.

"He tried to choke out his mother, and a struggle ensued," Schmid said.

Ultimately, Yee allegedly struck her in the head three to four times with a hammer, leading to her death by blunt force trauma on Dec. 19.

Judge William Lamb ruled there was probable cause to hold Yee for trial on a felony count of first-degree murder for Nathan's death, with the special circumstances he was lying in wait and committed the crime during a burglary.

If Yee is convicted of the charge and special circumstance, he faces either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A trial date for Yee in the current case may be set during a hearing on Sept. 13.

Speaking outside of court, defense attorney Eric Ortner said a lot of things have yet to be decided, including whether it would be a death penalty case.

He also said Yee's mental health remains an issue. Although Yee told police he didn't hear voices at the time of Nathan's death, the defendant has been previously diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. Ortner said that's not a condition that goes away.

Monday's hearing featured testimony from police officers around the circumstances of Nathan's death.

In his interview with Schmid, Yee said he and Nathan had gotten in an argument outside of her house about him not being able to stay there following his parole from San Quentin State Prison on Dec. 9. Yee was unsure of the date, but a neighbor told police the argument was between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Dec. 18.

Yee reportedly went downtown and stayed briefly on the streets.

Under questioning by supervising deputy district attorney Kelly Maloy, Schmid said Yee told the officer he came up with a spur-of-the-moment plan while returning from downtown.

Yee entered Nathan's house and hid in the master bathroom, waiting for her to return home from work at a drug store shortly after midnight.

When Nathan returned home, Yee allegedly attempted to choke her with a nylon rope. During the struggle, Nathan reportedly told Yee to stop up to 10 times and he told her to shut up.

Ultimately, Yee allegedly struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer.

After waiting for Nathan to die, Yee allegedly wrapped her in a comforter and tied it to a wooden ladder. He placed her in a pickup when it was dark outside, intending to dump the body at Lake Oroville or Paradise Lake. Eventually he returned and allegedly placed it in the residence's septic tank.

Yee reportedly attempted to use Nathan's credit cards at a gas station and bank, but was unsuccessful.

Schmid said Yee reportedly told the officer he knew his actions were wrong. Yee said he was cold and hungry and wanted to be inside. He also wanted access to Nathan's money and credit cards.

Asked about his mental health, Yee said he had last heard voices in 2004-05 and had been diagnosed at that time with paranoid schizophrenia.

However, Yee told police that he didn't hear voices around the time of Nathan's death.

This was not the first time Yee's mental health has been an issue. He was diagnosed with paranoia and schizophrenia following an attack on a railroad police officer in downtown San Francisco on June 10, 1989, according to appeals court records.

He required medication during the proceedings and a psychiatrist cautioned it was psychiatrically important that Yee remain on his medication. However, reports indicate Yee stopped taking his medicine at various points.

Ultimately, a jury convicted Yee in 1995 of felony assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury and mayhem.

In that earlier case, Yee told doctors at one point he began periodically experiencing strange, violent dreams and hallucinations from when he was 15 or 16 and they had gotten worse over time.

Monday, Schmid said Yee had lived in the White Avenue house for about six months while attending Pleasant Valley High School.

Given Yee's age, that would have likely been in the early 1980s. Previously available information about Yee indicated he lived in San Francisco before high school, and graduated from a school in Oregon.